Sonoma County's fight against the opioid epidemic takes a financial leap forward as the Board of Supervisors gave the green light to allocate millions from a massive settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors. The County, which has been wrestling with a particularly fierce outbreak of opioid-related deaths, received $12.7 million so far out of an expected $43 million. This injection of cash is earmarked for programs aimed at addiction treatment and preventative education, with a clear goal: to tackle the drug crisis crippling the community.
Already, 76 percent of overdose deaths in 2023 in Sonoma County were opioid-related – a staggering statistic. A huge portion of those tragedies, about 90 percent, involved fentanyl, a drug known for its lethal potency. Ranked 27th out of 58 California counties for drug overdose deaths per capita, Sonoma County's urgency is underscored by chilling death tolls that keep climbing.
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Board of Supervisors, told the County of Sonoma, “The opioid crisis is complex, and these drugs have done significant harm to our community.” She continued, “The settlement funds will allow for a much-needed opportunity for expansion of extensive education, outreach, care and community services.” The decision by the Board was unanimous, reflecting a shared resolve to stem the tide of addiction.
Allocations include $750,000 for initiatives like hiring a full-time counselor for three years. The counselor will be tasked with an arsenal of duties, from training student volunteers to implementing a youth outreach program. Focused on harm reduction, prevention, and education, these programs aim to plant seeds of awareness and initiate a robust dialogue about substance and opioid use disorder within schools and the broader community.
The lion's share, totaling a cool $15.4 million, is slated to expand substance use disorder services. This includes a $3.8 million match for a potential state grant to develop a campus tackling severe mental illness accompanying substance use disorders and a residential treatment facility boasting 64 sub-acute treatment beds. With a community proposals process in place, an additional $11.6 million will be distributed to cultivate an array of much-needed treatment and rehabilitation programs.
